Take a book-inspired journey with BOOKED Trips
Immersive experiences that take travelers from the page to the place
Why BOOKED Trips?
BOOKED Trips are all about storytelling and authentic connection
BOOKED Trips connect curious and community-minded women through storytelling. Our book-inspired travel experiences take our travelers from the page to the place exploring cities around the world. As an immersive, small group travel company we attract women who are looking for more than just a vacation. Unlike traditional travel companies, we offer one-of-a-kind experiences that bring stories to life. This facilitates deep connections, unforgettable experiences, and a sense of belonging.
Your Next Storybook Adventures
Accra, Ghana
by Yaa Gyasi
The Experience
October 10-16, 2024
7 Days & 6 Nights
Embark on an immersive journey through Accra, Ghana, where the past and present collide in a vibrant tapestry of history, culture, and personal discovery.
SOLD OUT!
Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana
by Yaa Gyasi
The Experience
October 9-17, 2025
A 9-day, 8-night immersive journey through Accra, Ghana’s history and culture guided by Yaa Gyasi’s award winning book “Homegoing.” We’ll journey from Accra to Cape Coast and back experiencing the country’s art, music, dance, and delicious culinary offerings.
SPOTS OPEN MARCH 28, 2025
Panama City, Panama
by Cristina Henriquez
The Experience
March 6-11, 2025
6 Days & 5 Nights
Join us in for a 6 day, 5-night immersive experience inspired by Cristina Henríquez’s latest work of historical fiction, “The Great Divide.” We’ll experience the rich and complex history and culture of Panama from its melting pot of culinary delights to its beautiful natural splendor.
SOLD OUT!
Marrakech, Fez, and the Sahara Desert Morocco
by Fatima Mernissi
The Experience
November 2-11, 2025
A 10-day, 9 night journey through Morocco inspired by Fatima Mernissi’s book “Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood.” Explore the rich history, culture, and artistry of Morocco told through a local lens.
SPOTS OPEN APRIL 25, 2025
Johannesburg & Cape Town South Africa
The Experience
April 4-15, 2025
12 Days & 11 Nights
Join us for our first TWO city trip to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa where we’ll explore Black-owned and women-owned businesses throughout each city and the nearby winelands learning about the food, history, and culture of these world-class cities.
SOLD OUT!
Cartagena, Colombia
The Experience
December 4-8, 2025
A 5-day, 4-night magical realist experience through Cartagena and the Rosario Islands inspired by Gabriel García Márquez’s book “Love in the Time of Cholera.”
SPOTS OPEN MAY 30, 2025
What Make a BOOKED Trips Experience
Travel centered around a story
Prior to each trip our travelers receive a BOOKED box with our selected book, a curated playlist, and items from small businesses around the world that connect to the book and the country we’re visiting. On the ground our trip activities and meals are inspired by our selected book, taking travelers from the page to the place.
Travel solo, but not alone
Our literary adventures combine the freedom of solo travel and the joy of being part of a small group of book enthusiasts. With no more than 12 spots per journey, we’re able to dive into rare experiences that large crowds miss. When the day’s adventure ends, your private room is your haven to reflect and recharge.
Your trip, your way
Tailor your travel experience to fit your unique style. We infuse each trip with time for you to unwind, explore, or simply breathe in new cultures at your leisure. You can choose to do it all or pick and choose what speaks to you.
Support marginalized entrepreneurs
Our experiences are crafted to benefit the communities we explore. We partner with diverse local experts and contribute to the local economy by visiting local restaurants, using local drivers and tour operators, and supporting local small businesses
Follow Us On Instagram
Travel Through Books Johannesburg, South Africa
What to Read: Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma
In Washington, DC Prudence Wright seems to have it all: a loving husband, Davis; a spacious home in Washington, DC; and the past glories of a successful career at McKinsey, which now enables her to dedicate her days to her autistic son Roland. When she and Davis head out for dinner with one of Davis’s new colleagues her perfect world is shattered when she discovers Davis’s colleague is Matshediso, a man from Prudence’s past, she is transported back to the formative months she spent as a law student in South Africa in 1996.
As an intern at a Johannesburg law firm, Prudence attended sessions of the Truth and Reconciliation hearings, which uncovered the many horrors and human rights abuses of the Apartheid state, and which fundamentally shaped her sense of righteousness and justice. But Prudence experienced personal horrors in South Africa as well, ones she long resolved to keep carefully hidden and ones which Matshediso threatens to now expose. When Matshediso finally reveals the real reason behind his sudden reappearance, he will force Prudence to examine her most deeply held beliefs about truth, forgiveness, and atonement.
WHERE TO STAY:
✔️Lauren Francis Sharma recommends @sanctuarymandela
✔️ Hyde Johannesburg Rosebank
✔️ The Peech Hotel
✔️Fox Street Studios by @curiocity.africa
WHAT TO DO:
✔️Lauren recommends @gallerymomo, a Black-owned gallery showcasing talented African artists.
✔️Learn the history of South Africa at the Hector Pieterson Museum, Mandela House, or the Apartheid Museum.
✔️Go on a tour of Maboneng, with Curiocity to explore the art and creativity of this neighborhood.
✔️Go on a book crawl. Check out @BridgeBooks, Book Circle Capital, @thecommunejhb, @lovebooksjozi, or @DavidKrutbookstore, @terrible.elephant or Collector’s Treasury, the largest shop selling rare and used books in Africa.
✔️Grab lunch, check out art galleries, or shop at @44_stanleyavenue
✔️Do a cooking or storytelling experience in Soweto at @sowetobybike
Learn more about Johannesburg through books during our Thursday, April 24th IG live with @laurenfshar
You asked, we answered - our BOOKED Trips Morocco experience opens Friday!
Based on polls, Morocco topped the list of locations you all wanted to have a BOOKED Trips experience so we’re curated a 10-day, 9-night experience in Marrakech, Fez, and the Sahara desert inspired by Fatima Mernissi’s book “Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood.”
A few trip highlights:
✔️Staying in single occupancy rooms in luxurious hotels including Jnane Tamsna, the first 5-star, Black woman-owned hotel in Morocco.
✔️Exploring the souks and shopping in Marrakech and Fez with expert guides and local artisans.
✔️Practicing the art of calligraphy, learning to weave, and enjoying a hands-on cooking class.
✔️Indulging in a traditional hammam spa experience.
Having a reading retreat, getting henna done, riding a camel, and experiencing Gnawa music in the Sahara Desert.
✔️All breakfasts, 7 lunches, 8 dinners.
Swipe through for the trip itinerary. Learn more about the trip and fill out the trip interest form in our link in bio.
Looking for a book-inspired travel experience with a group of like-minded women? Here`s where we`re headed next:
🇬🇭October 9-17, 2025 BOOKED Trips Accra, Ghana (5 SPOTS LEFT!). Our Ghana experience is back by popular demand and we’re mixing it up with a few new experiences that you won’t want to miss in collaboration with Sorted Chale, a Ghanaian woman-owned company.
🇲🇦November 2-11, 2025 BOOKED Trips Marrakech, Fes, and the Sahara desert, Morocco (SPOTS OPEN NEXT FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2025): A journey through Morocco inspired by "Dreams of Trespass" by Fatima Mernissi in partnership with Inclusive Morocco, a Moroccan-owned luxury travel company.
🇨🇴December 4-8, 2025 BOOKED Trips Cartagena, Colombia (SPOTS OPEN MAY 30, 2025): inspired by “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Márquez. We`re partnering with IMPULSE Travel, a Colombian-owned, socially responsible travel company.
👉🏿 Learn more and fill out the trip interest forms at www.bookedtrips.com or at our link in bio.
Fresh off our amazing BOOKED Trips Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa experience, we`re diving deeper into Johannesburg’s literary landscape.
We`re keeping the conversation going on IG live NEXT THURSDAY, APRIL 24TH at 6:30 p.m. and delving deep into Johannesburg for a Travel Through Books Instagram Live conversation with Lauren Francis-Sharma, author of the newly released book Casualties of Truth!
Casualties of Truth follows Prudence Wright, whose past as a law student intern witnessing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in Johannesburg comes rushing back when a figure from her past reappears in her seemingly perfect DC life. What secrets does her time in Johannesburg hold? How does the city`s history of seeking truth intertwine with Prudence`s personal reckoning with forgiveness and atonement?
This conversation is the perfect way to explore the deeper layers of the city we just experienced and invite more people into the conversation. We`ll chat with Lauren about weaving this intense personal drama with South Africa`s complex history, exploring themes of truth and forgiveness, and share recommendations for how to craft your own book-inspired experience in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Start prepping your questions now. Can’t wait to see you next week!
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars: Thursday, April 24th
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM ET
📍 Where: Right here on Instagram Live! @bookedtrips
What do you love about @bookedtrips?
It`s the unexpected - coming for the adventure and leaving with true friends.
What do you love about a @bookedtrips experience?
The care and attention to detail! Knowing that your money is supporting local businesses. Meeting a group of women you can really get along with and connect to.
What are your favorite parts of the @bookedtrips South Africa experience?
One recurring answer from our travelers is THE SISTERHOOD. This group really bonded and are already planning meetups in Chicago and DC for after the trip.
#BOOKEDTrips
“Women held the community together. “Wathint’Abafazi Wathint’imbokodo!” was the chant they would rally to during the freedom struggle. “When you strike a woman, you strike a rock.” - Trevor Noah, Born A Crime
We had the great pleasure of visiting various Black and Brown-owned wineries in Stellenbosch and the Franschhoek wine regions outside of Cape Town South Africa.
We had a wine tasting at @sevensisterswines, one of the first and few 100% POC-owned and managed wine farms in Stellenbosch. Established in 2009 by the Brutus Sisters, the vineyard represents their journey to reclaim their legacy and celebrate their bond. We were personally hosted by one of the sisters Vivian who leads the brand and talked about the struggles of being a Black woman in a white male dominated industry, losing her business 4 times but still being here 20 years later.
We also had a tasting at @klein_goederust , the first Black-owned winery in the Franschhoek wine region. The winery is inspired by the legacy of family matriarch Nomaroma Siguqa, who was a wine farm laborer for 37 years.
We had a five star lunch at @hari.kitchen , a Black-owned restaurant owned by Chef Nash, a sommelier turned chef. HIGHLY recommend during your next visit to the region.
